Stakeholders kick as NFF shuts door on elected board

Despite public outcry on lingering non-election into various Nigerian leagues, the leadership of
the Nigeria Football Federation, NFF is insisting on hand-picking board members of Nigeria National League, NNL, Nigeria Nation-wide league, NNWL and Nigeria Women Football league, NWFL.
The tenure of the immediate past board of the country’s various leagues was terminated last December and since then, NFF has refused to neither release guidelines for conduct of elections nor gone ahead to conduct the poll.
Nigerian Pilot Sports observed while the previous league officials were asked to step aside without the usual and statutory annual general congress, eligible contestants had begun preparing for fresh poll.
Their effort to give the league the desired impetus has long been dashed with recent pronouncement from the headquarters of the Nation’s soccer body.
The latest of no-election decree from glasshouse was made by NFF Board member Ahmed Fresh in Abuja barely three years after the country’s apex league, Nigeria Professional Football League, NPFL has been ran without a democratically elected body, League Management Company, LMC.
According to Fresh who is also the chairman, Referee and match commissioners’ appointment committee; “December 2015, a resolution was passed that from now onward, the four leagues must operate the way other leagues operate in the world.
“Our intention is to have independent chairman and two other independent directors, while the leagues by themselves will produce six other independent directors from each geo political zone, by so doing, we will have a structure that will stand the test of time.
However, NFF’s plan has hit brick wall with stakeholders already kicking.
In his reaction, Ex-Super Eagles Coach, Festus Onigbinde dismissed claims that non-conduct of elections into the league boards was in line with what is obtainable globally adding “Let me tell you, we don’t have a single club in this country in line with FIFA stipulation. FIFA regulation said that any football team or body must be run without any interference…It also said that the body of any football must be democratically elected. Sports, football in particular has become the dumping ground for political compensation.”
Lending his voice, a NNWL club manager Achebe Okoro wrote on his facebook page “NFF informed the people during the NNWL meeting that the no-election decree is Federal Government decision. I challenge NFF to tell us the Government that gave the decision because I’m confident that the Government of President Muhammadu Buhari and Prof, Osibanjo ( Prof.of law ) will not allow such lawlessness
“Somebody , please tell me why NFF does not want election into the Nation-wide league board. Why are they afraid of election? The Nation -Wide league laws stipulates that election must be conducted after every four years.
“NFF wants to break the law and appoint people instead. Totally unlawful, Club owners fund the clubs, pay players, pay coaches, medical staff, playing field, pay for security, we pay indemnities for match officials. We pay transport & hotel accommodation for away matches and other bills.
“What does NFF do? Nothing, except assigning referees. No financial support for clubs, no technical support. Absolutely Nothing, yet we are not allowed to elect members into the board. This is totally unfair, a case of monkey dey work , baboon dey chop.”